Jonah Hex (2010) **1/2

 

Sometimes it seems like all movie studios want to make these days are movies based on comic books. Franchises like The Avengers are a license to print money, and studios are falling all over themselves to buy the rights to adapt what they hope will be the next cash cow. “Jonah Hex” is an example of a gamble that did not pay off. Based on a DC comics series, with a big-name cast and a budget of $47 million, the film only managed to earn $11 million. It flopped with critics as well, and I can understand why, but I have to say that I actually found it entertaining.

Josh Brolin plays Jonah, a Confederate soldier who refused a murderous order from his commander, Quentin Turnbull. During the mutiny, Jonah was forced to kill his best friend, who happens to be Turnbull's son. As revenge, Turnbull (John Malkovich) kills Jonah's family, brands his face, and leaves him for dead. An American Indian shaman uses magic to revive Jonah, rendering him nigh-immortal and with the ability to talk to the dead. The scar-faced Jonah walks the earth as a bounty hunter, until the U.S. Government recruits him to stop Turnbull from unleashing a powerful weapon.

Besides Brolin and Malkovich, the film features Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”), Michael Fassbender, and Megan Fox. With such an impressive cast, it is hard to understand how “Jonah Hex” was such a financial flop. I have noticed that there are two kinds of comic-to-film adaptations. Most, like the Avengers and other MCU films, as well as the Wonder-Woman and Batman movies, look like regular action movies. A few, like “Sin City,” "Watchmen," and "Polar," retain their comic-book sensibility. “Jonah Hex” is one of the latter. It looks like it was ripped, panel-for-panel from the pages of a comic, and that film-making style may turn some audiences off. I happen to like the style, and I found “Jonah Hex” moderately entertaining. It's full of action, it's visually interesting, and Megan Fox is really pretty. Sure, it's a silly story, but the A-list cast do their best to elevate the material. Full disclosure: I watched it while working out, which significantly lowers my demands for a movie. I'm giving it 2.5 stars, but it probably would not have fared even that well watching it from the couch.

2.5 stars out of 5